


People Meet Percabeth

by NonchalantPenguin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, People meet Percabeth, Shorts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28269459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonchalantPenguin/pseuds/NonchalantPenguin
Summary: People Meet Percabeth... a classic for sure!But the standard plots of the trope can get... overused at times.Join us as we explore this trope in new unique ways! People Meet Percabeth, like you've never seen it before.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 36





	1. A Tale Told in Short Clips

Violet POV

[5 years-old]

As I unbuckle myself, I look out the car window at the nearby sign. "Montauk Park," I sound out in my head.

When I get out of the car, I hold my mom's hand tight when we cross the street from the parking lot to the park.

"Don't be scared, sweetie," my mom says, clearly sensing my discomfort.

The wind picks up and I hold tighter. "Mommy, what if I blow away?"

She laughs and it makes me smile. "Don't worry sweetie. I won't let you blow away."

We make it to the bench on the side of the playground. The tambark scattered across the ground. I look to the left where there's a little lake, likely man-made.

My mom takes a seat. "Go on, my flower," she nudges me, "I'll be here."

"Mommy, I don't want to go." I cling to her side like a stubborn barnacle.

"Okay, honey." We sit together on the bench in comfortable silence, and I enjoy it.

There aren't many kids on the playground, and they are much older than me. I think they are maybe 10 or 11.

I look back to the lake, and there's a little boy swimming around, he looks about my age. His mom is sitting at the bottom of the closest tree and turns her head to me, catching my gaze. I immediately look away and bury my head into my mother's side embarrassed to be caught staring. Then she calls to her son, "Percy, come on out please!"

The little boy groans but emerges from the water. He drags his feet over to where his mom is sitting beside the tree. "Why did I have to come out, mommy?" he asks.

His mom pulls him to sit beside her and lowers her voice enough so that I can't exactly make out what they're saying. I lean towards them the slightest bit and strain my ears to hear their conversation. He looks towards me with curious eyes. His eyes are sea-green and bright probably reflecting his personality.

While they sit and eat their lunch, mommy and I sit in silence. "You sure you don't wanna play on the playground?"

I shrink back and shake my head. Part of me wants to be brave enough to approach someone and play with them, or play by myself, but I'm too shy. I don't even like it when people look at me. I'd much rather watch other people and see how they act.

"Do you want a cookie?" I realize that the 'Percy' boy from the water is standing in front of me, smiling. I blink, trying to comprehend how to answer. "Oh, right. I'm Percy. Do you want a cookie?" he asks again, waving the cookie in his hand a little. Mommy nudges me a little, signaling me to answer.

Instead of responding, like I should have, I find myself asking, "Why is it blue?" I shrink back, embarrassed. I don't even know why.

His face brightens, if that's even possible. "Oh! It's because my mommy and me like blue food, and I love cookies, so she makes me blue cookies!" he exclaims. His peppy personality somehow makes me more comfortable with talking. Maybe it's because I'm not afraid of being bullied, like in my kindergarten class. "That's cool. Can I have the cookie? I'm Violet."

"Sure!" He hands me the cookie and I take a tentative bite.

My eyes widen involuntarily. "It's so good!"

He smiles proudly. "I know, right!"

It's a matter of seconds before I devour the whole cookie. With newfound confidence I ask, "Wanna play on the playground?"

"Yeah! Let's go! I'll race you there!"

We play tag, hide-and-seek, and other games that we make up. I've never had this much fun before. I look over at my mom and she's smiling at me. Then I look over at Percy's mom and she's smiling too.

"Oh no! The bad guys are coming, we have to run!" Percy reports to me through our tanbark walkie-talkies.

"Ok, I'll meet you at the monkey bars. Over."

We run over to the monkey bars and laugh the whole way.

Soon enough, the sky turns from blue to pink and the air gets cooler. Percy's mom walks up to us digging through the tanbark. "Percy honey, I think we have to go."

"But mommmmmmy," he whines.

She gives us a sad smile. "I know. Maybe we'll see them another day."

He stands up, begrudgingly, and follows his mom. Before he is out of hearing-range he turns around and shouts, "Nice meeting you Violet!"

I smile and wave back at him.

"He seems like a nice boy," my mom says when we get to the car.

"Yeah. I had fun today," I announce.

"I'm so glad," she responds.

\-----------------------------------------

[12 years-old]

"Mommy, where are we going?" I ask, in the passenger's seat.

She looks side-to-side and turns the wheel before responding. "To that park we used to go to when you were little."

"Oh, the one with the lake, and the playground and the tanbark?"

"Yeah, for old time's sake."

I think back to when she first brought me here. I'll never forget that experience. I was shy and scared of being bullied, but then this little boy(Peter was his name?) came up to me and asked me if I wanted to play. It felt like eons ago, but that was one of the best memories I have. After that, I was much more outgoing and had lots of friends at school. I wonder how he's doing now…

When we cross the street this time, from the parking lot to the park, I hold my book tight to my chest. The wind picks up and I'm worried the jacket of my book will fly away.

"Don't worry, my little flower," I hear my mom chuckle, "Your book won't fly away."

"You can never be too sure," I reply.

We take a seat on the bench in front of the playground. It seems like deja vu, but also not. There aren't many people on the playground, just some toddlers running around and a few families having a picnic. My mom checks emails on her phone while I read my book, it's called, "The Lightning Thief."

"So you used to come here a lot when you were a kid?" a voice says. I look up. Two kids, who look about my age, are walking along the edge of the lake. The guy has messy black hair and the girl has curly blonde hair and is wearing a Yankees baseball cap.

"Well, it's really close to the house that we have, so when I was smaller, mom used to take me here instead of the beach because she was worried I would drown in the ocean," the guy explains.

The girl throws her head back and laughs. "No way, Percy! Was Sally really worried that you would drown?" She jabs her finger at him. No way. Is this the same Percy from when I was 5?

"Excuse me?" he puts a hand on his chest and feigns offence. "Are you not also concerned about my well-being?"

She rolls her eyes. "Seaweed brain, you can breathe underwater, so no, I'm not worried about you." She stomps off and Percy runs after her.

"Annabeth, wait up!" Yep, I'm certain. Though he has changed so much, it's the same Percy from when I was five. As he passes me to catch up to Annabeth, we make brief eye-contact and I'm met with his bright sea-green eyes once more. He doesn't stop though, and continues to run to the girl.

I smile sadly. He doesn't remember me. He doesn't know how much I've changed because of him. I'm not upset though, he was an outgoing kid, so he probably made new friends like me every time he went to the playground. I'm just glad he's here with a friend this time. It doesn't seem like he comes here very often. Maybe he lives in a different town.

I resume reading my book with the white noise of Percy and Annabeth's conversation in the background.

"Ready to go, Violet?" my mom asks after a couple hours.

"Yeah," I shiver, "It's getting cold, too."

She takes off her jacket, exposing her arms, and wraps it around me.

We walk to the car and I turn up the heat as we pull out of the parking lot and drive back home.

\---------------------------------------------

[16 years-old]

I pull into the parking spot and take the keys out of the ignition. I grab my computer bag and cross the street from the parking lot to the park.

The smell of the sap and flowers fills the air. I take a deep breath, good old Montauk Park.

I take a seat on the bench, but it feels empty without mom. I pull out my computer. After entering the password, ilovemom, I open up my google drive and make a new doc. I title the doc, Journal Entry #37, and begin writing.

It's nice outside but I wish I felt good on the inside. It's been two weeks since mom was admitted into the hospital. I'm really worried about her since it's always been just me and her. The doctors say she has hepatitis b, and she might need a liver transplant soon. I'm terrified. There are so many things that can go wrong. I can't bear to lose her. I'm only 16!

I stop typing and close my laptop. I need a distraction, so I pack up and walk around for a bit. There are lots of people today, on the playground, having a picnic, swimming in the lake. But no one stops to talk to me, not that I look very approachable to begin with.

Everyone looks super happy, probably because it's summer and the weather's nice. That's the only nice thing in my life right now. The only person who doesn't look happy is a boy who is sitting underneath the tree closest to the lake. His eyes look lifeless as he stares out at the lake. Wait a minute… is that Percy? There's no way it is, so I continue the loop and head back to the playground.

When I get back to the bench, I find someone sitting on one side. After contemplating whether to sit or not, I conclude that benches are public spaces for everyone, and take a seat.

The girl sitting next to me looks vaguely familiar, with blonde curly hair and skinny jeans. I can't quite put my finger on it though. She turns to me, "Hey, have you-" I look up at her, "Woah, are you okay?"

No way, it's that Annabeth girl. I couldn't forget her startling grey eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay," I answer meekly.

"I don't believe that." I grimace. "Listen, it's obvious that you're in pain, emotionally. I've been there, and I know how it feels. I know I'm a literal stranger to you, but I'm here to listen if you want to talk because talking to someone about things really helps, I learned."

"Wow," I breathe out, "Thanks." She smiles and nods. I turn towards her and explain what happened in the last few weeks. "One day my mom didn't feel good. She had a high fever and her skin started turning yellow. She looked really weak and was dehydrated. I got scared and called the ambulance. They rushed her to the hospital. After waiting for hours there, the doctors told me that they think she has hepatitis b," I start to tear up. "A-and, she might need a liver transplant."

Annabeth holds my forearms and gives me a gentle squeeze. "Wow, that's a lot to bear. Though I haven't been in your situation exactly, I know what it feels like to be scared of losing someone," she grimaces, as if remembering something. "Just know that worrying won't do anything but deplete you of your energy and life in general. If you spend your days worrying, you won't be living. Just have faith in the future and carry on strong."

I sniffle and wipe my sleeve over my eyes. "That's helped a lot, really." And it did. I feel much better now that I've got all my feelings out and it honestly feels relieving. It feels like a burden has been lifted off of me.

"I'm glad," she smiles.

"Umm… what were you going to say earlier?" I ask, remembering how she started to say something before asking me what was wrong.

"Oh! Have you seen Percy? I mean, this tall boy with sea-green eyes and messy black hair? I think he's here, but I can't find him." Her eyes fill with concern.

I rack my brain. "I think I might have seen someone that fits the description. He's sitting over there."

She snaps her head in the direction I'm pointing. "Thanks."

Before she leaves I ask, "He looked really sad. What's wrong?" Then, after realizing how intruding that sounds, I add, "I mean, if you feel comfortable answering. Sorry, that was kinda nosy."

She shakes her head. "So you know how I told you that I know how you feel about being sad and losing someone?" I nod. "After I came to terms with it, I moved on, but Percy seems to be having a harder time with coping," she looks down and her eyes start to water. "He thinks it's his fault," she whispers.

"Oh my! That's terrible." She gives me a sad smile and heads down to Percy.

He's still sitting on the ground throwing rocks into the lake. Annabeth approaches him slowly and takes a seat next to him. I can't make out what they are saying, but I can tell that Annabeth is trying to talk sense into him.

After a while, Percy puts his arms around her and rests his head on her shoulder. I can relate; it's draining to be depressed. I wonder if they're dating, or maybe just really close friends. Either way, it's nice that they have each other.

I open up my computer again and continue my entry.

Now that I think about it, I'm okay. I shouldn't let the uncertainty of the future ruin the glory of the present. Mom will be alright, I know it. I will visit her as much as I can, but I won't let the worry and fear take over me. I am strong and I will get through this. Things are going to be okay.

The sun has made its way to the horizon igniting the sky in a mix of pinks and oranges. It's beautiful, and for once I feel good on the inside too.

When I pack up to leave, I look back at the park. I see the silhouette of two people kissing under a tree, and I know that it's Percy and Annabeth. I'm happy for them because they're such nice people and deserve happiness.

They both helped me, and as I get into the car, I conclude that I deserve happiness too.

\---------------------------------------------

[18 years-old]

"Where are we going?" Landon asks from the passenger's seat.

I look from side-to-side, just like mom, and turn right. "To Montauk Park. I used to go there when I was a kid."

"Oh, cool. Did you go there with your mom?"

I smile. "Yeah. I have a lot of memories here."

He smiles back. "I bet."

We get out of the car and hold hands while crossing the street. Today, I'm not alone, not like last time I was here.

I look out across the lake, it sparkles as the water shifts.

When we take a seat on the bench next to the playground, I put my head on Landon's shoulder. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Mom," I say, my voice cracking.

He takes my hands in his and makes me turn towards him. "Hey. Don't be sad, be happy. She's alive and well. The transplant went well and everything is going smoothly. Soon enough, she'll be back to her usual self."

I bury my head in his chest. Sure, the transplant went well, but there is still a chance that her body could reject the new liver at any moment. It scares me. "I-I'm just worried that-"

"Shhh," Landon strokes my hair. "If you keep worrying, you won't be able to enjoy anything. The fact of the matter is, she's doing well right now, and we can only hope that everything will go according to plan."

I part my lips, about to speak, but Landon holds a finger to them. "Ah, I know what you're going to say. But think about it: Your life is going great right now. Your mom's recovering, we graduated and get to spend our college years together. Life is good."

I sigh in his arms. "Yeah, life is good, I guess," I mumble.

I feel him smile against my head. He kisses my temple.

"Wanna go play on the playground?" he asks.

I give him a weird look, sometimes he's such a kid. "C'mon, I'll race you there!"

Before I know it, we're playing spies and cops with tanbark walkie-talkies. I climb up to the top of the structure and pretend to look around for enemies.

Something on the lake catches my eye. Two people surface. How had I not noticed them before? They start swimming back to the shore, and for some reason, they look vaguely familiar.

"Violet! What's the hold-up?" Landon shouts.

"Nothing, coast is clear!"

We goof around for a little while until we reside to the bench once more. I'm curled up against him and we're both on our phones.

"Seaweed Brain, if you don't dry me off, I will judo flip you," I hear someone say. I look up in the direction of the voice and see none other than Percy and Annabeth.

Percy looks amused, but Annabeth looks mad, with a twinkle of mischievous in her eye. When Annabeth counts down but Percy stays put, she casually walks over to him and flips him over her shoulder and he slams onto the ground. "Oof, that's gotta hurt," I hear Landon say.

Annabeth has a knee on Percy's chest as water drips off of her onto a surprisingly dry Percy. He holds his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll dry you off."

I smile and look at Landon. He's smiling too. "Those two are quite entertaining," I say.

"Yeah. Do you know them?"

"Well… kind of. It's a long story."

He leans in to listen. I laugh and spend the next 30 minutes explaining how I met Percy and then Annabeth and how neither of them remember me. When I finish, Landon has a thoughtful look on his face. "I see."

We glance back over at Percy and Annabeth. Percy's sitting with his back to the old oak tree they always sit at, and Annabeth is sitting with her head on his chest as he plays with her now dry hair.

I know they are talking, but I can't understand exactly what they're saying. I just hear "life," "war," and "I love you." Something must have happened.

Not gonna lie, I aspire to have a relationship as strong as theirs. It's evident how much they care for each other, ever since they were young. I guess I thought aloud because Landon says, "Yeah, me too. One day, though, one day." He wraps an arm around my shoulders and we watch the sun disappear over the horizon.

\---------------------------------------

[25 years-old]

Landon is at his bachelor's party, so I decide to drive to Montauk Park one last time before our wedding. I can't believe we're getting married.

My phone vibrates so I pull over and answer it. "Hello? Oh hey mom! Nothing much, just going to the park for a bit. Yes, that one. Wanna come?"

I take the nearest exit and head to my mom's house to pick her up.

"I can't believe it's been all these years since I first took you here," she says when we get in the car.

"Me too."

"Remember that first time? You were so shy and then that boy came and offered you a cookie!"

I laugh. "Yeah, I remember."

When I pull up into the parking lot, we both get out. Mom's still recovering a bit, so I hold her hand as we cross the street from the parking lot to the park.

We get to the bench and sit down. "What a nice day," she says.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." The sun makes the lake shine bright, and the trees provide cool shade and a light breeze as they sway.

"Aren't those little kids adorable?" mom asks, pointing to two toddlers playing on the playground. One has black hair, and the other has more blonde hair. Their parents are sitting on the grass. They're both leaning into each other, watching their kids.

"Yeah, they are adorable."

"Percy!" I hear someone yell. "Grab Ethan, he's running towards the lake."

Oh, gosh. It's them? Percy lazily jogs over to the toddler and scoops him up. Annabeth watches from the grass, amused. "Ethan! No swimming today. We didn't bring extra clothes for you." Then he thinks, "Well, not that it would be a problem…"

After playing for a while, the toddlers get tired and Annabeth puts them into their stroller. "Percy, I'm cold," she shivers.

"Here." Percy takes off his sweatshirt and pulls it over Annabeth. He boops her nose when her head pops up. They both laugh.

"Annabeth?" Percy says, with his hands on the stroller handles.

"Yeah."

"I love you," he smiles.

"You too, Percy. But, I know that's not what you mean to say. What's the deal?" she says with a knowingly smile.

Percy smiles sheepishly as they walk along the path. "Can we go get blue ice cream?"

Annabeth throws her head back and laughs. "I knew it! It's always ice cream."

"So, can we go?" Percy pleads, with his hands together and lip pouting.

She sighs, but can't hold back a smile. "Oh, alright. Let's go."

He pushes the stroller towards their car and she follows behind.

"Can you believe we've been here over 10 years? That's more than a decade!" he exclaims.

"I know. We're getting old," she laughs.

As they pass us, Annabeth and I make eye contact. She frowns, as if trying to decide whether she knows me or not. I smile and wave, and so does she.

As they walk away, I hear Percy ask, "Do you know her?"

"I feel like I've seen her before," Annabeth replies, walking beside him.

"Yeah, me too."

My mom turns towards me. "Is that who I think it is?"

I smile. "Yep. It's been a while, huh?"

"No way."

"Yes way."

She sighs. "Look at us, back at Montauk park after all these years, it's been 20 years since I first took you here, my little flower. Well, I guess you're not so little anymore," she chuckles.

"Don't worry mom, I'll always be your little flower." I lean into her and she leans into me and smiles.

"Oh look!" She points towards the little flowers near the pond. "The violets are blooming. They're beautiful."

"Yeah," I breathe. "What a great time to be alive." And I mean it, because Mom was in pretty bad shape for a while.

"You know, Violet... I'm so lucky to have you. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Here we are, at the same bench at the same park. It feels comforting, like an old memory.

I look towards the parking lot and see Percy and Annabeth's minivan pull out of their spot. It's a good life. Though there are bad times, there are good times too. I learned that you've got to choose which parts you spend your energy focusing on. I wasted months of my life worrying about Mom and her health, when I should have been appreciative of what was going right.

My life has been one heckuva ride, but I'm okay with that because I'm embracing every single moment of it.

\--

The End.


	2. Wait... Percy's Popular?!

Chelsea POV

I lay in my bed and stare at the ceiling. It's 10 am and I slept in. The sun pierces through my linen curtains, lighting up my room with a soft glow.

I sigh. If only things could stay this way.

But they can't. It's the last day of winter break. The last day of freedom.

"Chelsea! Come down here," my mom yells from the kitchen. Ugh, can't I just enjoy today. It's Sunday for Pete's sake. Who gets up early on a Sunday?

I throw the covers off my body. "Coming mom!"

I'm still in my PJ's and my hair's a rat's nest when I stumble into the kitchen. I rub the sleep from my eyes and yawn loudly. "Chelsea, honey. Go fix yourself up, please. Actually, you know what, let's just do introductions right now, real quick."

Introductions? I look up. Oh no. Apparently, we have a guest. I look up. She's dress in casual clothes. An orange shirt and jeans, with converse and a Yankees baseball cap to top it off. Meanwhile, I look like I just got out of a washing machine.

"Chelsea, this is Annabeth. Her family is moving into the house next door this weekend," my mom explains to me.

Great, what a first impression for a long-term neighbor. She holds out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

I offer a weak smile and shake her hand. Wow, she's so well put together. Not to mention she's up and about on a frickin' Sunday morning. Well, I guess that's not a mind-blowing accomplishment, but it is for most people in high school. "You too."

"Why don't you get ready and then head over to Annabeth's to help her unpack," my mom shoos me out of the room. She probably thinks I'm an embarrassment.

I trudge up the stairs as Micheal runs down. "Ugh," he makes a face at me, "You know we have a guest, right?"

I roll my eyes and push him away.

After a rushed 10 minutes, I'm flying down the stairs to grab some breakfast. "Ready to go?" I ask Annabeth.

"Yep."

"Have fun girls!" my mom calls. I roll my eyes mentally.

The people who lived in the house next over were kinda old. I think one day they realized that New York wasn't a great place to retire, and they moved away to a more peaceful area. It's been vacant for a while, so we've gotten used to being part-neighborless. I used to hope that one day a family with a high schooler would move in, and then I'd become besties with them. Call me idealistic, but I'm a bookworm at heart.

We stop on the porch. Annabeth has her hands in her pockets and shrugs. "Well, here it is."

She pushed through the door and we head inside.

It's a pretty spacious house with a solid floor plan, but I think I'd switch the bathroom with the linen closet. That wasn't a great usage of space. What? I'm a little bit of a nerd when it comes to design.

"The floor plan is very nice. Good usage of space," I say out loud. Oops, I probably seem like a creep. Not to mention how I looked when we first met...

"Yeah! I thought so too. I'm kind of an architecture geek if I do say so myself. If I were to tweak one thing though, I'd want to swap the bathroom and the linen closet. The space is used better that way."

"No way. I was thinking the exact same thing!"

"Really?! You're an architecture person too?" she asks.

"Well, more graphic design-oriented, but pretty much, yeah. I love to design things, especially floor plans."

"Unbelievable. I have yet to meet someone with similar interests!"

"Me too."

We spent the rest of the day unpacking and geeking about designs and architecture. I show her some of my graphic designs of virtual buildings and she shows me a few small-scale models as well as some sketches.

"What school are you going to?" I ask her, though Goode High is literally the only school in this area, excluding private schools, she doesn't seem like the type.

"Goode High, I believe." I knew it.

"Hey! I go there, maybe I could show you around and stuff," I offer. I'm not-so-secretly happy that Annabeth and I are going to attend the same school. As I've said, I've never really had a "group" of friends and I just don't click with people that well. It's part social anxiety/consciousness, but I just don't really share any interest with anyone I know... until Annabeth moved in next door.

She smiles. "Thanks for the offer, but I have already arranged that."

"Oh, cool. It's no problem." Who's showing her around? Would I know them?

-time skip-

It's good ole' 7 am when my alarm clock blares through my eardrums. I roll over in bed, getting tangled in the blankets. Ugh, school is the absolute worst.

Ding! A notification rings on my phone. I pick it up wondering who would be texting me this early.

It's Annabeth, we exchanged numbers yesterday. The text reads: Morning! Be sure to be ready by 7:30. I'll meet you at the tree.

Even though she just moved in, I feel like she's the one showing me around; she's so initiative. Like, excuse me, I've been here all my life and I've never been this... this motivated and organized. I won't be surprised if she grows up and becomes the CEO of some big company. I sigh. Why can't I be more like her?

I fly down the stairs and grab a granola bar while swinging through the kitchen. "Chelsea, I'm making waffles. They'll be done in two minutes!"

"No, mom. I've got to go! I'm walking with Annabeth to school today and I'm already late!"

"Oh. Okay, honey. Have a good day!" she shouts.

Normally, I'd leave at 7:45-ish and embark on my journey to school, but Annabeth wanted to get there a little earlier to get her things situated and stuff.

When I get to the tree that sits between my house and hers, I find that she's already there. Surprise surprise.

She has her nose in a book, but when she hears my pants getting increasingly louder as I get closer, she looks up. "Oh, hey Chelsea. Ready to go?"

"H-hey Annabeth," I pant out. "Yeah, let's go." After I catch my break and try to act all nonchalant, I ask, "Sorry I was late. Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all. I got there a little late myself actually," she chuckles. Huh, I thought she's always on-time...

"Oh, haha. I guess that makes two of us."

We walk the rest of the way to school making small talk and me briefing her on how the Goode High Social Hierarchy works. It's quite the ordeal.

"Okay, so on the bottom, we have the loners," I gesture to myself. "Basically, people are even less cool than nerds because they have no one. They don't really get along with anyone and they never found real friends."

"Aww, come on Chelsea. Don't say that," she chides. It's true though.

I wave her off. "Then we have the nerds, they..." and I go onto listing out each social status, right up to the tippy top of the pyramid. "At the top, we have the Populars, with a capital 'P'. They include the good-looking people... essentially just jocks and cheerleaders."

"Hmmm..." Annabeth seems to be processing all the info.

"We're talking, the guys that are the quarterbacks, or team captains. Or the girls who are either in the cheer squad or slap on layers of make-up. These people are Drew, Miranda, Hayden, Percy... just to name a few."

"I-I'm sorry. Ufgt What?" Annabeth nearly choked on her spit. "Who are the people you just named again?"

"Ummm... Drew, Miranda, Hayden, and Percy. Why?"

"Nothing. I think I might have heard of one of them before, but it was probably just a coincidence." She suppresses her laughter. What's so funny?

I rack my brain. "Well, it's probably one of them you've heard of. For sure the whole school knows them, and probably the whole town in some cases. Let me think... Drew is starting her own makeup palette, Hayden got a football scholarship which is really rare for our little town, and Percy is being considered for the Olympics in swimming."

Her mouth hangs open in shock and amusement. "Yeah, I know. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah... sure," she replies, but clearly her mind is elsewhere.

When we get to school, I lead Annabeth to the front office. We are about to turn the corner when Annabeth crashes into someone and her papers fly everywhere. "Di immortales," she mumbles. Huh, wonder what that means.

"Ugh, watch where you're going!" a snotty voice shrills. It's none other than the queen bee herself: Drew.

Annabeth looks up after gathering her papers. She looks annoyed, but does her best to conceal it. "That's Drew," I whisper to her, so she knows to let it go.

Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say because Annabeth talks back to her. "Oh, so you're Drew, huh?" she says with her eyebrows raised and her facial expression reads, oh, I thought you'd be better than this. Then she turns to wink at me. I look away,the last thing I want is for Drew to come after me too.

"Excuse me?" Drew snaps back. "What did you just say?"

"Oh," Annabeth starts, looking up to the side. "I just heard so much about you… and I kinda thought you'd be better than this." She shrugs with a sigh.

Drew clenches her teeth and takes short, rapid breathes. "What. Did. You. Just. Say." She's practically shaking from anger.

Annabeth waves her off. "Oh, nevermind. I'll be on my way, and so should you. Perhaps you could show me where the front office is?" She smiles sweetly, but the venom in her words leak through. Yikes, I do not want to be on Annabeth's bad side.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Drew fake pouts. "But I can't show you where the office is, you'll have to figure that one out on your own, sweetie. The most popular boy at Goode is waiting for me. I shouldn't keep him waiting." She matches Annabeth's fake smile, and I look back and forth between their faces.

"And who is that?" Annabeth asks.

Drew flips her hair over her shoulder. "Gosh, you are new, aren't you. I'm talking about my boyfriend Percy Jackson, duh?"

Annabeth throws her head back and laughs. "Y-you're boyfriend! That's a good one. I'll bet you he doesn't think you're his girlfriend. In fact, I predict that you're about to ask him on a date. You guys aren't dating."

"Get rid of that smug expression, you dumb blonde. So what if he doesn't know we're dating yet, of course he's going to say yes." Drew has one hand on her hip and the other in Annabeth's face.

Annabeth calmly pushes Drew's accusing finger out of her way and replies, "Do you really think he's gonna say yes to you?"

"Duh," Drew scoffs. "He doesn't say yes to just anybody. That's why he says he has a girlfriend."

"Okay then, let's make a bet," Annabeth decides. This is not good. I nudge Annabeth and give her a plea to just let it go, but she looks at me and silently tells me that she's got this situation under control. Since I don't want to get involved, I just awkwardly stand behind Annabeth and watch the whole thing play out. I will admit, as much as I am scared for Annabeth, I'm thoroughly entertained.

"So, what's the bet?" Drew asks.

"I bet that I can get Percy to accept my date request before you." Drew looks shocked, and Annabeth has a smug smile on her face. "What? Too chicken? Feel free to back down," Annabeth responds to Drew's reaction while admiring her nails. Wow, what a power move!

Drew scoffs. "Of course not! I'm going to go ask him right now before the bell rings." She huffs and walks down the hall.

I turn to Annabeth, jaw on the floor. "What was that?" I ask.

"Huh. Oh, I just wanted to have some fun since you said that she's the bitchy queen bee."

"Yeah, I know… but what about that bet? Are you worried, I mean, Percy did say he already has a girlfriend."

Annabeth smiles. "You'll see. C'mon, we've gotta go follow Drew to find Percy. This is going to be good." I'm a little terrified because Annabeth looks a tad bit sadistic, but then again, I can't wait to see Drew be put in her place.

We run down the halls in the direction that Drew went. A few teachers yell at us to slow down, but we keep going.

After a few wrong turns and lots of panting later, we find Drew. She's casually walking up to Percy who is at his locker putting away his stuff. "Hey," says Drew seductively as she approaches Percy. Ewww, I want to throw up. Someone give me a bag.

Percy looks equally disgusted as me. "Uhh, hi Drew. Can I help you?" I've gotta admit, Percy looks kind of cute when he's flustered, but he has a girlfriend, and I'm not going to date anyone anytime soon.

"Oh yes." Drew runs a fingernail down his arm and he shifts uncomfortably. I hear Annabeth giggle beside me, and a small crowd starts to form around them. "How about you and me tonight, at my house. My parents are gone for the week."

"I'm going in," I hear Annabeth whisper, and before I can tell her no, she walks towards them.

"I… uhhhh," Percy says. "I have a date with my girlfriend tonight, sorry."

Annabeth walks past them but stops when she hears Percy's words. She gives him a confused look and says, "Umm… I don't remember scheduling a date for tonight?"

Percy's eyes light up when he sees Annabeth. What's going on? "Wise girl! I missed you so much." He wraps his arms around Annabeth's small frame and she laughs lightly before pushing him away.

"Umm… excuse me?" Drew interrupts.

"Oh! Drew, this is my girlfriend Annabeth," he introduces with his arm around her.

No. Freaking. Way.

Annabeth gives her a fake smile and waves. "Hi, I'm Annabeth, nice to meet you," she says in a small voice, totally opposite from her demeanor earlier. Percy looks at her with love and smiles.

"Y-you," Drew points a shaky finger at Annabeth. "You were a bitch just a minute ago, and now you're trying to play the shy girl? Cut the crap, I'm not falling for it."

Percy cuts between them and shields Annabeth from Drew. "Don't you dare talk about my girlfriend like that!" he roars. Drew shrinks back, and Annabeth smirks at her from behind Percy.

Drew regains her composure and crosses her arms. "Percy, you don't know how big of a mistake you made by dating… that. I'm telling you, she's manipulative. One day she's just going to leave you, but don't come running to me." She spins on her heel and walks away.

The crowd slowly dissipates after Drew leaves. Percy turns to Annabeth and they both have huge grins on their faces. "That. Was. Awesome." Percy says and high-fives Annabeth.

The notebook in my hand falls onto the ground because my grip went slack. Did they plan this?

Hearing the noise from the fall, Annabeth turns to me. "Oh, Percy. This is my friend Chelsea."

"Oh, hey Chelsea!" Percy waves.

"Uhhhh h-hi" I say back. All of a sudden, I'm shy. I know that I've talked bad about the populars, but it's because they've always been put on a pedestal by the student body and didn't seem to live up to their title. But I can tell that Percy is a genuinely nice person who is devoted to the person he's dating, and that separates him from the rest of the populars. Maybe that's why everyone loves him.

"Shoot! The bell is going to ring," Annabeth exclaims. "Thanks Chelsea, Percy and I have to go to the office." Oh, so Percy was going to show her around. Everything makes sense.

I'm rooted in the ground and watch Percy and Annabeth walk down the hall together, he's carrying his backpack for her. That's cute. I hear Annabeth say, "So, Percy, I hear that you're popular, huh?"

He scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess," he says sheepishly.

"Gotta admit Seaweed brain, I didn't think you were the popular type," she says. He gives her a playful push.

"I'll have you know, Wise girl, I'm everyone's type."

She raises her eyebrows. "Not Nico's type, remember?" she points out. Who's Nico?

Percy sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "You seriously did not bring that up did you?"

"Yep, sure did." Annabeth crosses her arms. They continue bickering until I can't hear them anymore, and then they turn the corner, out of my sight.

Who knew that my first ever friend would be dating the most popular guy in school?

Today was the weirdest and most entertaining day in a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all those who bookmarked and kudo-ed(?) this work! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!


	3. A demigod? You're joking!

Tia's POV

"Lincolnnnn, hurry up," I whined. The bell just rang and we had to run across the campus to get to fifth period.

"Oh, chillax," Lincoln restored while shoving his stuff into his backpack. "We have plenty of time."

"Psst, as if! You take forever to get places," I huffed. It's true though, he had forearm crutches, so it took double the time to get places. Although the teachers let him off if he was late, his personal chauffeur (aka best friend) sometimes wasn't so lucky. I'm talking about me if you haven't caught on.

I grabbed my stuff and shouldered his backpack before sprinting out of the classroom. "Tia! Wait up!" he cried.

I looked back at him. "Nope! We have P.E. next and Coach Hedge always marks me tardy because of you," I pointed an accusing finger at him.

He put a hand to his chest as if I hurt him. Oh, please. Luckily, he got moving and we started the journey toward P.E.

"Alright cupcakes, listen up!" We all hastily straighten our posture. What, he was scary sometimes. "We are entering the basketball unit this week and I expect 110% effort!" he yelled. Everyone nodded and ran to the lockers to get changed.

I said bye to Lincoln and started making my way to the girl's locker room. Lincoln was exempted from P.E. because of his limp, so he and Coach were pretty close. Or maybe they've always been that way, I can't remember.

"Tia! Come here!" I froze. What did Coach want from me? Sure, I was late some days, but I wasn't a bad student. Not really bad at least, I hope.

"Y-yeah?" I stammered as I stopped in front of him. Though I was a couple of inches taller than him, he never failed to scare the crap out of me.

"Stay with me after class. We need to talk."

"O-oh, okay. Did I do something wrong?" I squeaked.

"No, but it's urgent. Your time has come," he told me instead. My what? I questioned myself but was too scared to say anything as I scampered off to the girls' locker room.

The whole period I couldn't stay focused, not that I needed to though. We were all just standing around, throwing basketballs into the air. Well, more like the boys were throwing the balls at each other and the girls were chatting.

I wasn't friends with anyone in the class, or even in the school, except for Lincoln.

"Hey, everything okay?" he asked as we walked laps.

"Huh? Oh… I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Talk to me," he insisted.

I started talking. "Coach held me back and said that I have to stay after class today. I'm just paranoid I guess. I mean-"

"Wait, what?! He said that to you?" Lincoln seemed shocked and maybe even… scared?

"You know what he's talking about? Please tell me he isn't going to talk to my parents or something. He said 'my time has come' or something..." I trailed off.

"T-today?" he stammered.

"Tell me what's going on, Lincoln," I demanded. This wasn't funny to me. They clearly knew something was up and I wanted to be looped in.

We continued walking, a tense silence between us.

Why couldn't he tell me? We've never kept secrets from one another.

Time went by agonizingly slow and I hated every second of it. My anxiety was getting the best of me and I took short rapid breaths to get enough air.

Lincoln, seeing my near anxiety-attack, put his hand on my forearm. "Hey, don't worry, okay? It's not what you think and it's not that bad. You're not in trouble."

The water glands in my eyes burst and tears threatened to drop. I tried to suck them back in, but it was no use. I was afraid of full-on sobbing while other people were watching, so I just nodded and stifled, though I felt otherwise.

When we finished with the last lap, everyone was already gathered and Coach Hedge was giving them a pep talk.

His words were just white noise because my thoughts were so loud.

The period finally ended and I went to go get changed before anyone stopped me. I took my time getting water and fixing my hair, just trying to delay the inevitable future. I've come to terms with the fact that I've done something horribly wrong.

I'm not the best student, but I'm not the worst either. I have a sassy attitude which can be problematic at times, but overall I don't think I'm the worst. Coach seemed to think otherwise, though.

I reluctantly pushed the door to the gym open and found Coach Hedge and Lincoln standing next to the bleachers talking. Phew, at least Lincoln is here. Though I don't know if I should be mad at him or not for concealing this information from me. We told each other everything after all.

"Oh good, you're here," Coach greeted me.

"So, what's the news?"

Coach looked at Lincoln, urging him to break the news, whatever it was. "Tia, you're a demigod."

"A demi what now?"

Coach stepped up to explain. "A demigod. It means that one of your parents is a god; Greek mythology is not a myth, and you're living proof. Anyways, the monsters are-"

"Hold up," I interrupted. "There are real gods out there… and monsters? This is what you made me anxious all period for? Some kind of sick joke?"

I glared at Lincoln, but he just seemed sad. "Tia, it's not a joke," he said in a small voice.

"Fine, so what if it's real. What's the big deal anyway?"

Coach Hedge raised his eyebrows. "You're bold, kid, and I like that. The 'big deal' is that monsters have started to come after you. You know that girl that you don't like… Kelli, or something?"

"Yeah."

"She's an empousa. Part donkey, part human. She's after you."

I'm lost here. Was this some ongoing joke? It makes no sense. My dad left before I was born and that's how the story went.

Just then, the door burst open and Kelli came storming in. I rolled my eyes at her dramatic behavior but Lincoln bleated. Wait, what?

"Go! Go! Go!" shouted Hedge urgently as he shoved us out of the door.

"Wait! Lincoln, you left your crutches on the bleachers!" I yelled.

He shook his head and fumbled with his belt before pulling his pants down.

"Woah, dude! I know we're close, but-"

"Tia, I don't have time to explain this right now but I promise it'll all make sense once we get to camp. I never thought this day would come," He threw his pants to the side, but to my horror, he didn't have legs.

"What are those?" I pointed to his furry limbs.

Before he could answer, Kelli came bursting out of the gym doors with Coach on her tail. "I told you to run!" he screamed.

I ran as fast as my confused legs would go, and to my surprise, Lincoln was faster than me. He had always used crutches, but it must've just been a cover-up since he has… furry limbs.

A white van labeled "Delphi's Strawberries" was parked in the school parking lot. When we ran up to it, the door opened and Lincoln jumped in. "Get in, quick!" he yelled. Well, that's not suspicious at all.

But I didn't have time to weigh out my options because I could hear Kelli's footsteps getting closer.

I slammed the door shut, and the driver hit the gas. We went faster than was safe, that's for sure. I held onto the seat in front of me and let my head hang between my arms as I caught my breath. The speed indicator didn't dip below 90mph until we were far away from school.

"Okay, we're here," the girl driving said. It all happened so fast that I never asked who she was or what the strawberries were about.

We got out of the car and the van drove away.

"You, mister, have a lot of explaining to do," I told Lincoln.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

I followed him up a hill that seemed to go on forever. I was about to ask where we were going, but then we reached the top. The valley below looked like a bustling town with cabins, a strawberry field, and an archery range.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Lincoln gestured. "It's your new home."

We walked through a shimmering gold barrier next to a tree with a golden blanket draped over it. What was this place?

People didn't seem to pay much attention to us which made me confused. Wasn't I like some half-god or something? Shouldn't people be looking up to me at least?

"Oh hey man!" Lincoln said to another goat-person. "Tia, this is Grover. He's also a satyr." So that's what they're called.

"Nice to meet you, and welcome to camp," Grover said. "Hey Annabeth!" he called to someone.

A girl with curly blonde hair came running up to us. She gave me a once over and asked, "Are you the newcomer?"

"Uhh, I guess?"

"Cool, I'm Annabeth. Follow me," she gestured and started walking back down. I glanced over to Lincoln hoping he'd come too because she looked quite intimidating, but he was off with Grover in the woods. I had no choice but to follow her.

The day went by in a blur, and I learned so much about Greek-not-mythology and how things worked. Apparently, Annabeth was a part of 'the seven' and saved the world that summer! Meanwhile, I was binge-watching Friends… that makes me feel productive.

I sat at the campfire next to Lincoln and listened to the camp songs. I already feel like I'm at home, and I can't wait to be claimed.

I've always wanted to do something spectacular with my life, and maybe I can if I get a quest. I really want to meet Percy Jackson because he saved the world multiple times and is the best swordsman in three centuries!

-time skip to three months later-

"Wake up, everyone!" Will chirped. I groaned and rolled over. Some people may say that the Apollo kids are all rays of sunshine and rainbows, but I think they're just talking about Will.

I rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the bathroom to try to make myself look presentable. I splashed water over my face and grabbed my toothbrush. "Why are you so happy today?" I asked Will. He was just finishing brushing his teeth as a couple more people came in.

He looked over at me. "Because some people are coming back today."

"Who?"

"Nico and Percy and Hazel. They went to Camp Jupiter a few months ago to do some work, and now they're coming back!" he smiled.

Everyone knew about Solangelo, and all the Apollo kids were major shippers. I had to admit, I was excited to see Nico and Will's relationship. People say it's the saying 'opposites attract' gone to the extreme.

"Wait? Did you say, Percy? As in Percy Jackson?" I asked. As in my role model?

"Yep, so let's go-to breakfast to greet them," He pranced out of the bathroom.

I get to see Percy Jackson today!

The dining hall is already packed, so I squeeze my way to the Apollo table. "Oh hey Tia," I heard a voice say. I look over to see Annabeth smiling and waving and give her a small wave.

"Why are you so happy today?" I ask her.

"Because Percy, Nico, and Hazel are coming back!" The same thing Will said. Man, these people must be really important.

"I heard. I'm so excited to meet the Percy Jackson!" I said.

She laughed. "Why?"

"Because he saved the world, he can breathe underwater, and he's the son of Poseidon," I list off. "But, I'm a little intimidated to meet him. Everyone says he did such amazing things, I hope he's not super strict and uptight."

Annabeth threw her head back and laughed so loud that the people around us started turning their heads. "Hate to break it to you, Tia, but I don't think the Percy you have in your head is the Percy Jackson I know."

"Well, how well do you know him?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm his girlfriend." No way!

"Oh."

The doors burst open and everyone quieted. A girl with chocolate skin and golden eyes walked through casually with a gothic-looking boy behind her. They must be Hazel and Nico. Wow, Nico sure is the opposite of Will. "Jeez, Percy," Hazel said.

"Way to be dramatic, now everyone is staring."

Another guy appeared after Nico, no doubt the famous Percy Jackson. He had the same messy hair as in the photos and the childish grin on his face. "Sor-ry," he retorted, "I just wanted to create some eXciTeMeNt."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Percy, there will always be excitement wherever you go."

Percy huffed and crossed his arms. "Just let me have my moment, guys."

By this time, everyone continued to go back to what they were previously doing, and a few of the new people, like me, continued to stare at the three powerful demigods.

Percy was much more childish than I thought he would be. Considering he saved the world and did all this brave stuff, I didn't think he'd be so playful. It's kind of refreshing.

He scanned the room, looking for something, or someone. When his eyes landed on Annabeth, his face lit up.

Her back was to him, talking to Leo. He crept up behind her and signaled to Leo to keep her attention away from him. Leo got the message and continued talking to Annabeth.

Percy came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and proclaimed, "I missed you wise girl." At the same time, Annabeth whipped around and twisted his arm in a painful manner before judo flipping him onto the ground.

I flinched. Ouch.

When Annabeth realized it was Percy, she removed her knee from his chest and helped him up sheepishly. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Nevertheless, Percy engulfed her in a hug and she buried her face in his chest. It was my first time seeing Annabeth vulnerable. She must be really comfortable with Percy because in the few months I've known her, she keeps her guard up.

That day, I met not only Percy but also Annabeth in a way. I met Percabeth, as people would say.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy POV

"Okay, looks like this is the front office," my mom says, pulling up to the curb. "Have a great day honey. If you get lost, look for Annabeth."

I roll my eyes, "Don't worry, mom. I know what to do. This isn't the first time I've been the new kid." I think back to my younger years when I used to get expelled almost every year.

"I know, I know, sweetie. I'm just a little worried," she explains.

"Mom, you always worry about me," I say, "'I'll be fine." I give her a quick kiss on the cheek and make my way into the front office as she drives off.

In the office, I see a plump little lady with glasses and bright red lipstick. She looks just like a typical grandmother. Ooo, maybe she has cookies! I walk up to the desk and say, "Excuse me, I'm the new-"

She cuts me off and snaps her head up towards me. "Give me a sec, hon. Can you see I'm busy right now?" she says with sass. Okay, scratch the nice-old-lady vibe, her attitude is like a retired biotch. No offense.

As I awkwardly wait, I take a look around the room. There are a few chairs against the wall, no doubt for the bad kids who get sent to the principal's office. I take a seat, deciding that the mean front desk lady is going to take a while.

And she does. She takes her sweet time finishing up whatever the hades she's doing.

Someone flies in through the doors yelling, "Ugh! Boys are the worst! I can't believe he cheated on me. I'm so done with stupid teenage boys, screw them!" Jeez, someone's mad.

Mid-stomp, she sees me. Now, I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, (because I don't read) but she looks like your local biotch. With shorts a little too short and one too many buttons unbuttoned, I can't help but look at her with aversion.

I'm slumped in the chair with one arm on the backrest of the one next to me. I'm practically sprawled across the chairs, just watching the show.

Immediately after she sees me, a smile spreads over her face. She struts over and slides into the chair that my arm is resting on. "Heyyy," she says, seductively.

I sigh and retract my arm. I just came here to surprise my girlfriend. Who would've thought that I'd have to deal with people like her. First the retired biotch and now the real biotch. She scootches closer to me.

Yeah, no thanks. "Could you please scootch over, you're in my personal space bubble."

She completely ignores my request and says, "Hey, I'm Drew. Nice to meet you. Are you new here?"

I give her a tired look. "Mmmhmm," I reply, arms crossed.

"Well, I could show yo-" she starts, but luckily Zeus almighty heard my prayers because the lady as the desk snaps, "Okay boy, what do you want?"

Though I wanted to give her a healthy dose of Persassy, I couldn't help but smile because she saved me from a life-sucking conversation. "I'm Percy Jackson, and I'm new here."

After typing it in, she hands me some papers that have my schedule as well as a map of the school. "Here's the stuff, now be on your way." She shoos me out. Ummm… thanks?

Since reading maps is not my forte or just reading in general, I just wander the halls for a bit. It's mid-morning, so everyone is in class and the halls are empty.

Then, someone jumps on my back. "So your name is Percy, huh? That's so hot. You look lost, babe. Let me show you around." Oh, that girl Drew from the front office. Yuck.

Luckily, I spot locker number 107, mine. Phew. "No thanks, I found my locker. You can go now." And I shoo her away. She pouts and starts to whine, but it's drowned out by the bell.

A wave of students surge down the hall, so I slide in with them and get lost in the crowd.

I bump into a guy and he stumbles a bit before regaining his balance. "Sorry, man."

He looks up. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."

"Yeah, I am. I'm Percy."

"Cool, my name is Grover, nice to meet you. What do you have next?" he asks, glancing at my schedule.

"Uhhh… history, I think."

"Hey! I'm going there too! Follow me."

_Thank goodness._ I have no idea where the classroom is.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

Right as I finish my notes for math, the bell rings. _Thank the gods_. That was such a boring period. If only Percy were here… he'd make school more fun, but he'd also probably get in trouble a lot too. I sigh to no one but myself. I miss him.

As I close up my book and gather my things, I see my friend Thalia coming over. "Hey," I say, "you ready for history?"

"Nope," she replies, popping the 'p'. "But we have no choice, so let's go annoy ."

I chuckle at her attitude and push up my glasses. You can always count on Thalia for being brutally honest.

The halls are packed, but what's new? I think Goode High is too small to accommodate all its students, but whatever.

I hear whispers of the latest drama floating throughout the halls. "Did you hear? There's a new boy in our grade." "Omg, no way. Is he cute?" "Yeah, I heard he met Drew in the office."

Well, I guess there's a new kid. I'm glad. Hopefully it means that Drew will be too busy trying to get his attention to annoy me.

We get to the history class with some time to spare, so Thalia hangs out around the door chatting to some classmates. According to her, she's, "not going to spend an extra millisecond with Mr.D" if she can help it.

I go in and take a seat in the back corner. You see, I'm kinda known as "the nerd." It's not too bad though, only Drew annoys me about it, so I don't mind. Maybe people are nice to me because I have the answers, but I'm okay with that. I never really had any friends, besides Thalia, because I'm super shy. Plus, I have the glasses, so that's extra points for nerdiness.

The bell cuts through the chatter in the halls. Students file in and scramble to find a seat before Mr.D starts yelling.

He looks borderline drunk, but what else is new?

"Okay, kids," he starts out, "today we'll be welcoming a new student, his name is… uhhh Peter Johnson." _Huh, kinda sounds familiar..._

Just then, the door bursts open and Grover comes sprinting in. "I think we lost her, Percy," he yells, looking back. Wait, his name is Percy, what a coincidence…

The famous "new kid" comes running in after Grover and shutting the door behind him. _Jeez, dramatic much?_

And that's when it clicks. I look over at the guy at the door, catching his breath, no doubt running from Drew. His signature messy hair and CHB shirt are unmistakable. This "Percy," the new kid, is _my_ Percy. It's not a coincidence!

As much as I'm confused, I'm elated. I haven't seen him in person for months. Long distance relationships are harder than you'd think.

"Excuse me. Would you _not_ interrupt my class?" Mr.D says with distaste, pulling me, and everyone else, out of their thoughts.

Percy gives him his signature goofy smile. "Sorry, sir. We were running a bit late." He gestures to Grover. Percy looks like he's having a good time, but Grover looks a little nervous.

"That is unacceptable. Detention for both of you."

Grover looks terrified of spending a lunch with Mr.D. "No, it won't happen again, sir"

"Nope, not happening," he replies, "so detention for Gary Underforest and… wait who are _you_?" he points his pencil towards Percy.

The whole class is just soaking up the scene. I don't think we've ever had a class this interesting before.

Percy smirks. I roll my eyes, gosh he's so full of himself, but I secretly think it's cute. "I'm Percy Jackson, the new kid. Since it's my first day, would you ever be so kind to let Grover and I off the hook?"

Mr.D looks skeptical. Grover looks grateful. Percy… continues to smirk. I swear I can _feel_ the girls swooning.

After a minute of the class looking back and forth between the two, Mr.D sighs. "Fine. But never again, you hear me?"

Grover quickly nods.

But of course, Percy shoots finger guns at him and says, "You betcha."

Mr.D is struggling to keep his cool while the class is leaning forward to see what'll happen next. It's not everyday that you see someone talk back to Mr.D, and wiggle out of trouble.

"Introduce yourself to the class then go find a seat and be quiet," he commands.

Grover scurries away to his seat.

"Hello people of Goode High, I'm Percy Jackson," he says, leaning on the teacher's desk, "Um yeah.. I guess that's all?" His eyes scan the room, probably looking for an empty seat. They land on me. I smile and offer a small wave. He smiles back.

A wave of disappointment rolls over the classroom when he walks past the desks and girls realize he's not going to sit next to them. One of them even slid over a seat to make room.

Of course, I had an empty seat next to me. We all have assigned seats, but no one would want to sit next to me anyways and I'm the only one Mr.D could trust not to goof off in the back corner.

Everyone holds their breath and all eyes are on him. He eventually comes to my row and plops down on the seat next to me.

Some people look confused, others look disgusted. I look down in embarrassment, who wouldn't? Imagine your boyfriend came to visit you and the whole class either looks at you in disgust or confusion because you don't seem to deserve the guy.

Luckily, Mr.D yells, "Okay people, stop ogling and open up your books!"

For once, I _want_ Mr.D to be talking. _What has the world come to?_

Percy hasn't really said anything to me, but everything was so chaotic, so I understand.

He grabs my hand gently and faces towards me. "Hey, Wise Girl."

My heart melts. I can't help but smile. "Hi, Seaweed Brain."

He rubs his fingers across the back of my hand. "I missed you… a lot," he says.

"Me too."

I'm glad that Mr.D is lecturing us because I don't want any attention. But, since Percy and I were talking a bit, some heads are starting to turn.

I gently release his hand from mine and whisper, "Percy, people are looking."

Instead of going back to his work, he wrapped his arms around me and snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. "So?"

I bounce my knee in an attempt to release my anxiety. It doesn't work. "Percy," I whisper, stroking his hair, "You know how I get anxious, right? This is school, and people are looking."

He closes his eyes and hugs me tighter. "Hmmm? Don't they know we're dating?"

"No, they don't," I reply, and try to push him off me. He obliges with a sad huff.

Then he looks at me. He looks tired and a little worn out, but he also looks super cute. I smile at him. He smiles back, looking into my eyes.

"Percy, we should really be listening to the teacher right now. We're probably going to have a test on this stuff later."

He groans. "I hate school."

Mr.D continues his lecture, but the class is half asleep. "Thalia!" he snaps, "what was one difference between the North and South military troops in the Civil War?"

Thalia rolls her eyes. "I dunno… the North ones were higher up?"

Mr.D gives her a disappointed look. "Not even close." Then he gestures to the rest of us, "You guys need to take your education seriously! College and the real world is just around the corner. Get yourselves together!"

Percy and I stifle a laugh. Mr.D whips his head towards us. "Annabeth! Who was the general for the Confederate army in the Battle of Gettysburg?"

"General Robert E. Lee," I say, without skipping a beat.

"Good," Mr.D says, a little awkwardly I hear some people snicker.

When he goes back to the lecture, Percy turns to me. "How'd you do that?"

I roll my eyes. "I actually listen and study. Unlike some people," I say, leaning my head towards him.

He crosses his arms with a huff, then glances over at me. "I bet those glasses make you smart."

"Yes, Percy. My glasses give me superpowers."

He gasps. "I knew it!" and reaches out to take them off my face and puts them on his.

I giggle. "You look like a nerd."

"A hot nerd though," he responds, wiggling his eyebrows. I punch him lightly.

The girl sitting in front of us, I think her name is Piper, turns around to face us. I tense up. She probably heard our conversation and now they whole school's going to know about my relationship with Percy. Drew will never leave me alone.

"Hey," she says with a huge grin. "Are you two dating?"

My eyes widen. I look at Percy nervously, trying to send him a message with my eyes. _Don't tell her! We'll talk about this later._

He nods to me, indicating he got my message. I let out a long breath.

I'm pretty sure the door opens and someone walks in, but I'm too focused on Percy and Piper to notice.

Percy pushes his chair back and stands up. _What the heck is he doing?_ He still has my glasses on… oh no.

He clears his throat. "Hello everyone, I just wanted to make a quick announcement. If you didn't already know, Annabeth and I are dating, so yes she is taken, and no you may not make a move on her. Thank you very much." Then he sat down, like nothing even happened.

I am in shock. _What just happened._

A shriek comes from the front of the room. _What is Drew doing here?_

Ohh, I guess she was the one who came in, probably to drop off some papers. I bury my head in my hands. The timing was horrible. She barged in right before Percy made his announcement, so that means…

"Excuse me?!" she screams. "Percy and _I_ are together, thank you very much!"

See? This is what I was afraid of. I'm very happy in my relationship with Percy, but if I had the choice, I'd keep it a secret, only at school. Especially because Percy usually is… pretty likeable for people like Drew.

Percy runs a hand through his hair. "Drew," he sighs, "for the last time, we are not together."

I shrink back into my seat. Piper offers me a small smile. At least I'm pretty sure she does, Percy is still wearing my glasses.

After Percy and Drew have a silent battle, Percy wins and Drew storms off.

The whole class cheers. Some people shout, "Way to go Percy!" or "Yeah!"

Piper whispers to me, "You're so lucky to have him as your boyfriend."

I smile, "Yeah, I am."

She takes my hand. "Don't be afraid to show it off too. Bitches like Drew will always try to throw themselves at whoever they like. Don't let them get in your way."

"You're right. I won't be worried about Drew anymore because I am strong and independent," I say.

"Hell yeah you are," Percy says and kisses my temple. I look down and blush. Piper fails to suppress a squeal.

The bell rings and people are packing up their stuff. A few people go up to Percy for a quick chat. Grover goes up to him and I hear him say, "Wow, Percy. Quite the show back there. I didn't know you were dating Annabeth."

Then, Thalia stomps over. She pushes Grover out of the way and seizes Percy by the collar. "Listen here, _Prissy_ ," she starts, "If you lay a single _finger_ on Annabeth the wrong way, I won't hesitate to rip you apart."

She let him go, and he looks genuinely scared. I go up to him and hug him from behind. "Thalia, you didn't need to go that far."

She shrugs, "Just taking precautions."

The classroom is almost empty, and it's lunch period. We walk out into the halls and squeeze our way to our lockers. Percy holds my hand the entire time.

I hear whispers throughout the halls.

"Omg, did you hear? New new kid is dating Annabeth"

"No way, the hot one?"

"I didn't think she was the type."

"Me neither."

"Oh, there she is."

"Shhhh!"

I kept my head down. _Gods, it sucks to be caught up in drama._

Percy must hear them too because he pulls me closer to him. "It's okay, Wise Girl, I'm here."

* * *

It's been a week since Percy came, and things have never been better. After Percy dealt with Drew a few more times and made some empty threats, she has been avoiding me like the plague.

I've been getting over my social anxiety with the help of Piper, my new friend. Thalia is still wary of Percy, but I'm sure she'll get over it. Grover and Percy seem to have lots in common, and I'm glad he has a friend here.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" Percy says, pulling me out of my thoughts. We're sitting beneath one of the trees on the field, eating lunch before class. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping.

"Yeah, it's a really nice day." I snuggle into his chest and wrap my arms around his torso.

He kisses the top of my head. I smile, but he can't see.

The bell rings, so we head to class.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter! This story updates every Mon/Wed/Fri


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